Budowsky: Newsom interview lifts Biden, electrifies Democrats

Last week, in one of the more interesting and memorable moments thus far in the 2024 campaign, Sean Hannity interviewed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) on his Fox News show. 

It was a long form interview that was both respectful and serious. Hannity and Newsom should both be commended for how they conducted their discussion of their competing points of view. 

Interested readers might look for the segment on “Morning Joe” this Monday which included a lengthy excerpt from the “Hannity” show and commentary from Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and the other panelists about how exceptionally strong Newsom was in presenting his enthusiastic, fact-based case for progressivism, California, President Biden and the values he forcefully champions. 

A search across political and social media provides evidence of how Newsom’s performance prompted more chatter, among progressives and Democrats, about how he is raising his national profile.  

What made Newsom’s performance on “Hannity” so inspirational for Democrats was the way he made the case for progressive states like California, which is also the case for the achievements and values of other blue states and for the enormous achievements of President Biden. 

Newsom can tick off the economic achievements from blue states about how the sum GDP of all blue states is higher than that of all red states, while President Biden can argue that today’s low unemployment rate would be the envy of previous Republican presidents.   

Newsom can show how blue states like California are the research and development capital of the world and have created more new businesses and jobs from this new research than red states.  

Newsom can point to examples of how blue states can do this while advancing the American dream and not cruelly dumping migrants into blue states in the middle of the night in ways that defame what America stands for; and how Democrats fight to save the Earth from pollution; and how Democrats give every American from every background a place to stand. 

Newsom can do this on issue after issue, with fact after fact. The way he did this on “Hannity” was comprehensive, sweeping and fact-based. The way he does this in other appearances makes Democrats, progressives and Biden supporters proud of the battles they fight and win to lift America.   

Early this week, before President Biden left for his important fundraising and issue visit to California, I contacted Newsom. I told him I wanted to get the story 100 percent right, and asked what role he would be playing in Biden’s trip to California. 

He told me he would be fully supporting Biden’s fundraising events and presidential campaign, would be traveling with him to multiple public and private events, and would continue his substantial efforts to help Biden win the presidential campaign, and help Democrats win the congressional and statewide elections in 2024. 

Newsom has a substantial political committee raising large amounts of donations to support a long list of Democrats, and a larger list of donors of all kinds whose donations he forwards to many other Democrats. 

Above all Gavin Newsom has ideas and values that he can articulate clearly and passionately and that make Democrats proud and confident to be Democrats. That is the message Newsom offered on “Hannity,” and the message Americans yearn to hear from Biden and all Democrats. 

Budowsky served as an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) and former Rep. Bill Alexander (D-Ark.), who was chief deputy majority whip of the House of Representatives.